Red Eyes Blue
by Black Violin
Summary: Joey thought no one could save him from the monster stirring inside of him, threatening to destroy all he held dear. That is, until Kaiba appeared. Kaiba, who has no fear of hurting and abusing him, may be the only one to control the monster.Puppyshipping
1. Chapter 1

_There were many screams that echoed through the darkness. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel an exhilaration mixed with the copper scent in the air. Joey could hear each cry for help loud and clear. His mind could not wrap around the thrill, and somewhere in his heart that fact terrified him._

_"No! My daughter!" a woman's voice screeched desperately. There were various half crunching half squishing noises that filled the air, followed by the painful screams of a small child. Joey inhaled the blood scent deeply, his body craving more like a drug._

_Yes, the smell was his drug and the sounds were his hype. Each scream...each bone crushing sound...each gush of blood was an urge to continue. It was as if the awful things wanted him to continue destroying blindly. There was no stopping this feeling._

_There was no stopping him._

_"Please, I beg of you!" a male's voice whimpered, "Spare me! Please!"_

_"No," was the simple answer. Some part of Joey found contact with the man's skull and smashed it. The sound pleased him, the scent filled him, and the adrenaline pumped through his veins like electricity._

_It was fun._

_...and that scared him. Somewhere almost the chaos, Joey was afraid. He wasn't afraid that he was brutally and mercilessly killing; he was afraid because he _liked_ it. It must have been the fear that pulled him back from the darkness._

_Things started to drift into the light, the perspective of everything he should have been seeing. Corpses floated lifelessly around his legs in a river of blood. Though the river was still warm, Joey felt the frozen hand of guilt wrap around his body. What had he done?_

_One of the corpses caught his eye as it drifted by. It was a female, slender in build and average in height. Her short, light brown hair was knotted and caked to her head and face with the crimson liquid. Her blue eyes stared up at him with shock and disbelief. _

_"Tea..." Joey said in a feint voice. He looked to a few of the other faces as they drifted closer to him, recognizing the faces of his friends and loved ones. Yugi, Tristan, Serenity...even Duke and some others. Neighbors, class mates, people he passed everyday...all dead by his hands._

_Terrified and shivering, he backed away from the bodies. Tears welled in his eyes as he waded away, trying not to look at the faces around him. His head pounded painfully against his skull and he told himself over and over the hard truth. "I enjoyed slaughtering them...all of them..."_

_It was no longer fun._

_It was not long until Joey came upon a heap of bodies too large to be carried by the crimson river. Something flickered brightly for a second on the mountain of the dead. He wasn't curious, but it drew him. He climbed the heap, hardly able to keep the tears from streaming down his face. His head continued to pound and his ears still heard screaming from the onslaught._

_There was a mirror. It flickered light from somewhere Joey could not see. It's black frame was carved with sleek patterns of dragons. Rubies were imbedded in the dragons' eyes. He approached it recklessly, stumbling over someone he did not wish to look at. _

_His reflection stared at him...or some version of him he did not recognize. Blood was splattered and drench all over his body. Some had gotten on his face and hair. His eyes glowed a dim red around the irises. Black, leathery wings had ripped through his shirt. He reached helplessly towards the mirror with a clawed hand._

_Anger flared in Joey's mind. Who the hell was this? What had he become? He hadn't noticed the screams growing louder until he looked to his own expression. The tears and shame were there, along with a pleased grin and smug eyes. Adrenaline kicked in again as the darkness rolled over his eyes in grand return. He couldn't hear his own infuriated cry as he drew a fist back and attacked._

_Then there was silence._

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Joey was awakened by the sound of glass shattering against the kitchen floor. His heart beat at an accelerated rate and his entire body ached. Sweat traveled down his spine, causing him to shiver.

There was no screaming, no crushing or gushing noises, no blood, no bodies of friends or family, and certainly no mirror. Instead, there were a few broken glass cups, knives, and other miscellaneous things you would find in a kitchen, all strewn about the floor. Everything that was once on the counters and table seemed to have been cleared off onto the floor. There Joey stood in the middle of it, knowing exactly what had happened.

It had happened before. In fact, it had been happening most of his life. He would get that same exact dream, and then go through some sort of sleepwalking nightmare. It started when his mother and father separated, and his mother had taken Serenity away from him. Joey didn't even know his friends then, but there they were in his dream. He didn't feel any need to share this nightmare with anyone. After all, it only happened a few times out of the year.

"It's been more frequent though," Joey said to himself, recalling the three nights in a row where he had destroyed a part of his apartment in his sleep.

The microwave clock read 3:49 in the morning. He stood silent a few moments, half expecting one of his neighbors, or the people living in the apartment below, to bang on the door, angry at him for awakening them. Nothing happened.

Joey groaned wearily as he stooped to pick up the things on the floor. His arms and legs throbbed. He could imagine that whatever he was doing in his dreams, his body mimicked in real life. It didn't totally explain the pain, but it was a good enough excuse to convince himself to ignore it.

After he got the kitchen back to a relatively normal appearance, he sauntered to the couch and flopped down on it. He couldn't go back to sleep. Instead, he stared dumbly at the ceiling until sunrise. He still didn't want to move; he was too worn.

_Ring ring...ring ring..._

"Fuck," Joey murmured, burying his face into the couch cushion. He didn't want to deal with anyone today.

_Ring ring...ring ring..._ The phone continued annoyingly. He swore again, noting that his phone had the most aggravating ring in the world. It was loud and unpleasantly high pitched.

_Ring ring...ring ring...beep- _"Yo! This is Joey. You know what to do," His recorded voice said on the answering machine. Whoever had called hung up without leaving a message, which was just as well as far as he was concerned.

Then the phone started ringing again. This time Joey reached for it off of the stand next to the couch, nearly dropping it onto the floor.

"Hello?" He answered, voice muffled by the couch cushion.

"Joey?" Yugi's voice sounded over the receiver.

"Hey Yug," Joey replied, rolling onto his back, "What's up?"

"Do you want to hang out with us today? Tea, Tristan, and I were going to go to the arcade."

Joey considered it lightly, deciding that his body couldn't handle arcade games. Besides, he was really tired. "Sorry...not today. I don't feel good."

"You said that yesterday and the day before," Yugi said, sounding worried. Joey felt bad. He hated to make his friends worry about him. Yugi asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," he lied, "You know what? I'll meet you guys there in thirty minutes. K?"

"Sure. See you there!" Yugi said before hanging up.

Joey laid on the couch a while longer. Most of his energy was drained, just like it had been the past few days. Because of that, he hadn't seen any of his friends. They deserved better. Summoning all the strength that was left, he managed to move off the couch and get dressed. Within 25 minutes, he was standing in the arcade, waiting for the others to show.

Various lights bounced and flickered around the otherwise dim building. The games made random noises. Banging, clanging, blinging, and beeping filled the air, mixing with many voices. They clashed together in a sort of horrid symphony, where none of the instruments complimented each other in sound. It felt hot from all the running machines and people.

Joey's head thumped lightly. He leaned against the wall by the entrance and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was going to be a bad idea. He didn't know how bad, but it would be terrible.

A hand slapped his shoulder, jarring him to attention. Tristan grinned stupidly, "Hey man! We missed you!"

Joey put away any evidence that he was feeling miserable and smiled at his three best friends, "Hey guys! Who's ready to get pounded by the great Joey Wheeler at some games?"

"You're looking well," Tea commented, looking at him with teasing eyes, "For someone who isn't feeling well, that is."

"Yeah, well, I'm doing better. Got a problem with that?" He crossed his arms smugly.

Yugi smiled, "It's great to have you back."

"Let's go already!" Tristan exclaimed. He was already heading to a shooting game.

Pretty soon they were all emerged in a game. Joey trounced Tristan in a few games, got trounced by Yugi in another few, and was picked on and cheered by Tea. He pretended that he was having the time of his life, but he could feel himself getting worse. His vision blurred every so often and his head pounded harder. He snuck off to the bathroom when everyone else was distracted.

The bathroom was quieter than the game room. There was a low murmur from outside the door and the buzz of the lights. The stench was really bad, but he tried not to notice. His head was bothering him more.

He leaned over a sink and slashed cool water on his face. It dripped timidly off of his nose and bangs, some snaking down his neck and in his shirt. Joey closed his eyes for a couple seconds, getting dizzy. He grabbed the sides of the sink to keep from toppling over. The action made his arms tremble in protest. They were sore.

"Get a hold of yourself, damnit," Joey grumbled to himself.

Suddenly, it felt like a railroad spike had been hammered into his brain. His knees made a hard thud as they hit the floor. He opened his eyes, but everything was black. Soon, he was no longer gripping the sides of the sink; he was writhing on the floor in pain, gripping his sides as if to keep himself together.

It felt like acid was running through his veins, laced with the same adrenaline thrill he felt in his dreams. Joey was in pain, but at the same time he enjoyed it. His senses were craving blood that, what was left of his conscious mind would not let them have.

His breath was caught in his throat. There was no crying for help, partly because he was trying to endure the searing pain and partly because he didn't want to.

After all, there was no saving him.

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Hope you liked it! Read and reveiw!  
-BV

P.S. - I own nothing. DISCLAIMED!


	2. Chapter 2

**Spacial thanks to Jiggary and kaiba-koi, who are the first and only two to review on this story so far. Thanks!**

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"Where did Joey go?" Tea wondered aloud. She looked around, not seeing him.

Yugi recalled Joey telling him that he wasn't feeling well. He felt a pang of guilt. "You guys look for him out here. I'll check the bathroom."

Both agreed and Yugi wandered towards the restroom. What if something happened to Joey? It would be his fault because he convinced him go come. He was really worried about him over the phone, but he knew that worry would make Joey come out of his hiding. Joey was far too kind to say no, and Yugi took advantage of that.

Yugi felt more guilt when he entered the bathroom, finding his friend convulsing on the floor. Joey's face was etched with pain. He tossed from side to side, hugging himself and crying silently.

"Joey!" Yugi knelt at his side, shaking him. His mind was racing so fast he could not grasp what was happening to his blond friend, nor could he think of anyway to help him. Stupidly, he called his name over and over again, trying to shake him to sense.

"Yu...gi..." Joey croaked. His fingers dug into his sides and his eyes searched for the boy. "Go...away."

Yugi gasped. Joey's eyes were different. They were not the regular, loving brown he was so accustomed to seeing. They were tinted a deep shade of red. He felt his heart sinking deeper into his chest. Something was definitely not right. Tristan walked into the bathroom, freezing in the doorway.

"C-call an ambulance!" Yugi managed. Tristan was still frozen, but luckily Tea arrived behind him in time to hear. She flipped open her cell phone and madly smashed at the numbers.

Joey shoved Yugi's hands away. He pulled himself into sitting position. His body shook violently and he still had to hold himself. "Get out..."

"We are not leaving you," Yugi said defiantly. He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder to show that he was with him all the way. He did his very best to keep his voice level and confident, despite that he was scared silly.

He wasn't sure what had happened next. In less then a second, he found himself sprawled out on the floor. His chest was tight where Joey had obviously struck him, making breathing a difficult task. Yugi blinked in surprise. Joey was standing, fighting against Tristan's choke-hold. He had a wild look to his features, like a rabid animal fighting against a trap. He didn't seem to be in much pain anymore as he elbowed Tristan's gut. When Tristan released his neck, Joey side kicked him away. A wicked grin played on his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tristan shouted. He glanced at Yugi with a frantic expression. That moment cost him. Joey punched him in the chest with such speed and force that he was thrown against the wall at the other side of the bathroom. He hit the wall with a slap and his head snapped back against it, rendering him unconscious. Tea let out a scream, dropping the cell phone from her hands.

Her scream drew the attention of some of the arcade players. A handful of them crowded around the doorway. They whispered about the scene playing out before them. Joey didn't notice. He stalked towards Yugi, who was gasping sharp intakes of struggled to his feet; he had to get away.

"Joey s-stop!" Words were useless. The blond grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted his small body off the ground.

"Get security!" One of the observers called. Tea heard bodies shuffling around behind her. Her own body seemed to be in shock, whereas her mind was flowing with a strew of questions. What was happening? Why was Joey acting so possessed? How could he hurt his friends? Was there something they missed?

Joey arched his arm, an action Tea recognized. Her body moved on it's own, a reaction influenced by her care for the boy dangling in the blond's grasp. There was a quick movement that passed her peripheral vision, but she was too focus on catching Yugi, who Joey threw to the side like a rag doll. She caught him before he hit the sinks; her back hitting them instead, driven by the momentum. She crumbled to the floor, Yugi with her.

Tea was blind, probably from hitting a spot on her spine. She was terrified, not just for herself, but her friends. At this rate, there was no stopping whatever was happening and posessing Joey. Her mind told her that they were all going to die. She didn't want to die...she had so much to live for and so much she wanted to do! With a lead filled heart, she began to cry. It was easier to cry when she was panicked and the thought that she might really die...no, she wanted to live!

Joey's scream pierced through her thoughts. There was a grunt accompanied by a heavy thud and followed by the smacking sound of skin hitting tile. Then a _click_ and gasps from the arcade players. Slowly, her vision began to haze back.

On the ground was Joey, _their_ Joey, Yugi noted as he clenched his chest. The blond's eyes were no longer tinted red. His face was completely panic stricken as he looked up the barrel of a revolver. The owner of the gun stood over him, looking down at him with cold, mercilessness.

Seto Kaiba.

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Sorry this was a really short chapter...my plot bunnies decided to devour each other and leave holes in the plot. T.T  
I'll try to update soon! Please let there be more reviews! Loves and cookies~

-BV


	3. Chapter 3

Joey didn't, couldn't, hear or see anything after letting himself go. It was so hard; the pain became much more than he could bear, and it was so easy to let it take him. He felt better after letting the darkness in...numb, but better. His mind was no longer in contact with his body. It was like he was floating in pleasure.

It was pain that had brought him back. Something hit him hard. It was like someone turned on the on/off switch for his senses. He was suddenly alive and alert, staring up at Kaiba and his gun with fear gripping him. His stomach turned.

"K-kaiba!" He stuttered, completely taken aback. He moved to sit up.

"Shut it mutt," The brunette replied, "And don't move unless you plan on having a bullet to the brain."

Joey froze. He knew Kaiba was serious about shooting him. His mind swirled, trying to remember what happened. The last thing he really remembered was getting a call from Yugi and agreeing to meet him at the arcade. What happened after that?

Somewhere behind him, Tristan moaned. Joey tuned to look at him. Tristan was slouched against the wall, looking dazed and in pain. He reached to touch the back of his head. When he pulled his hand back, he saw that his fingers were wet with blood. He cursed.

"What happened to you man?" Joey asked stupidly. He'd already forgotten about Kaiba and moved to his knees to stand. From the corner of his eye, he could see Tea leaning against the sinks, and little Yugi struggling to stand. All of his friends were hurt, and he wasn't sure why. What happened? Where was he when it all happened?

A bullet hit the ground near Joey's foot. It ricoshed and hit a stall door. Tea and a couple other voices from the doorway screamed. The tile that was hit shattered, scattering about. Joey spun around to glare at Kaiba.

"What the hell?" He shouted, feeling his temper and hate for the man raising. He shoved himself off the ground and got right into Kaiba's face, not caring about the gun anymore, "What is your problem? Huh!? Can't you see that he's hurt?"

Kaiba backhanded him with the hand holding the gun. Joey stummbled away a bit. He felt his lip split and lightly bleed. The CEO had the revolver against his head in less then a second, the cold metal pressing against his temple. Kaiba's eyes seemed to say, 'Careful mutt, my finger might slip.'

"Stop it," Yugi said, sounding like he had just run a mile. He wedged himself between the two, pushing them apart. "This is all a...mistake. So stop..."

"The police are here!" Someone said from outside the bathroom.

"Keep your dog on a shorter leash," Kaiba muttered, lowering the gun and stashing it away somewhere in his trench coat. He turned abruptly and left.

Joey growled at the comment, ready to go after the man and beat the living hell out of him...or something like that. Little Yugi pushed against him, telling him to let it go. The blond agreed, looking to his injured friends. A couple officers pushed through the crowd, taking in the scene. One of them, an overly puggy man named officer Waddle, odered an ambulance for Tristan through his radio.

"What happened?" The second officer, a much skinnier, pimple faced man named officer Zitts, asked. Joey felt he would have laughed at the two cops had the situation been different. He didn't know what happened, so offered nothing.

"We got into a fight," Yugi supplied instead, almost straining to keep his voice level, "Well, Joey and Tristan got into a fight."

"Over?"

"You know..." The boy laughed nervously. He brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head. That was the number one sign, Joey knew, that Yugi was lying, "Guy stuff."

Officer Zitts seemed to buy it, scribiling down something in a small notebook. He glanced at Tea, "And what about her?"

"I came in to stop the fight," Tea lied for herself. She stood up, bracing herself with the sink, "But I slipped and hit the sinks."

The officer bought it again. The two hilariously named cops decided that the teenage nuisance was not worth the time and effort to report. They let Joey go with a stern warning and assisted the paramedics to get Tristan into the ambulance. Tea went with them to the hospital, leaving Joey and Yugi at the arcade.

"Did we really…you know," Joey began to ask as they walked out of the building and into the natural light of day. The question seemed really farfetched in his mind, but he had to ask it; he had to know what happened, "Did we really get into a fight?"

Yugi stared at the ground, kicking his feet a little. He licked his lips as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to answer. Finally he just shook his head 'no'.

Somehow, Joey felt relieved to know that their friendship was still safe, but he still needed to know what happened. They began walking down the street, side by side, Yugi looking down and Joey looking up, searching for a way to ask. The sky was a brilliant blue, fluffed up by shiny white clouds. The sun was directly up above, making his eyes water a bit.

"You don't remember anything?" Yugi finally asked. He looked up at the taller boy with curious eyes, underlined with worry and a tinge of suspicion.

"No. Nothing."

"Hmm…" The boy looked down again. He was deep in thought.

"What happened?" The blonde prodded. Yugi found interest in some lint on his shirt and he started to pick at it. Joey stopped, taking a guess, "I did all that, didn't I? It's my fault you all are hurt, right?"

"You did but…" The boy stopped as well, turning to face him. He bit his lower lip in thought, "Well…I don't think that was really you. You were so different…it was you, but not you." He took a step towards Joey and looked him straight in the eye, "You haven't been you for days. Is something wrong?"

Joey was a little taken aback. "Not really," He lied, offering a small laugh to make his lie seem less of a lie, "I've been really busy lately. Maybe I just lost my mind back there with all the pressure."

He didn't want to lie to his best friend, but he couldn't stand to make him worry either. All the time he spent with in a street gang made him a good liar, better than his friends, but he wasn't sure that this lie would stand. Yugi looked a little suspicious, but didn't press.

They walked for a couple of blocks in silence. It was an unusual, eerie kind of feeling. Joey glanced sideways to try and read his friend's expression. Yugi's lips were pursed shut, but his face was otherwise expressionless. Joey almost let out a sigh of relief when it was time for them to part ways. He almost didn't bother to say goodbye. Yugi grabbed his sleeve before he could get too far.

"Hey, If something is up, just know we are all here for you," He said, looking the blonde straight in the eye again. A gentle, friendly smile suddenly spread across his face, "We are friends after all."

The smile was infectious. Joey found himself smiling in response as he nodded, waving goodbye as the boy took off down the street in the direction of the game shop.

When Yugi was out of sight, Joey could feel the presence of his smile fade away. His hand slowly dropped to his side. The day's events slowly replayed in his mind like a movie reel with scenes missing. His body ached, but not as badly as his heart did when he remembered what his friends looked like. The things before that were a blank, but he had no doubt it was he who injured the three, just like in his dreams. What would have happened if Kaiba hadn't been there to stop him?

Kaiba…

'_Kaiba isn't stronger then me,'_ Joey thought randomly, wondering how he let the brunette take him on. Aware or not, he would have never let Money Bags beat him down, and yet he had. He touched his cheek where Kaiba had struck him and flinched. It was swollen and probably bruised. He hissed at the sting, asking aloud, "What the hell is wrong with me?"

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"_What the hell is wrong with me?" _Came the blonde's voice over the receiver. Kaiba watched the blonde from the tinted windows of his black Jetta. The driver was a little more then suspicious of the brunette's actions, but he was fond of his job and didn't want to chance asking.

The CEO had no problem planting the bug on Joey. While he was despicably out of his mind, Kaiba stuck the small microphone in the mutt's jacket pocket. It was simple and easy, and he could hear the blonde's voice, as well as Yugi's voice, clearly through the receiver in his own ear.

The mutt stood where he was for a while, looking uncharacteristically lost in his own mind. Kaiba sighed and pulled the bud out of his ear. There was nothing else to listen for. He ordered, "Drive."

"Yes sir," The driver responded, starting the car and pulling it out of the ally space were they were watching Joey and Yugi. He glanced over at his boss sitting in the passenger seat.

"What?" Kaiba snapped, watching Joey out the window till he was out of direct sight.

"U-um…well…" The driver stuttered, gaining all of his confidence. The CEO's piercing cold eyes made his next sentence rushed, "Isn't it illegal to bug someone without their permission?"

"I'm not concerned with the laws."

"B-but why do it then? Why this boy?" He asked without thinking. He grimaced, knowing right after he asked that his job was dangerously at stake.

Kaiba didn't answer. He concentrated out of the windshield with his typical glacial expression. He couldn't stop his mind from answering the question, though he did not say it out loud to the driver.

'_I saw him on the other side of the mirror.'_

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Hey!!! Comment PLEASE!!! Seriously...there are like, 4 comments to this story. That makes me sad. So can we try for 10 comments before the next update? Or I may not update at all. So please R&R!!!!!!!  
Many thanks to the four that did comment and thank you to the people who added this to your favs and alerts~~ 3

-BV


	4. Chapter 4

Things were quiet. Not just the nervous quiet when you find yourself alone in the dark and don't know where you are or how you got there, but a more painful, isolated kind of quiet. It'd only been a week since the incident at the arcade, but to Joey it felt like months.

He'd locked himself in his apartment, turning it from a home into a solitary confinement cell. All the phones were disconnected. The tv remained off and silent. The curtains were drawn, only allowing a dim glow from the sun during the day.

It was so quiet...

Joey was constantly restless and unsure what to do with himself. On occasion he would do some light dusting. Maybe he would even arrange a few things strewn around the apartment, if he was feeling ambitious. But most of the time he found himself just lying in bed, unable to sleep and unable to leave – tossing and turning, almost waiting for something else to happen. Something bad.

It was too quiet…

Yugi and Tea had stopped by a couple times. When he didn't answer the door they left, only to return a couple hours later. Joey didn't want to see them. Rather, he didn't want them to see _him_. After a while, they had settled on slipping letters under the door.

'_Hey, we really miss you. Are you alright? Tristan said to tell you that there are no hard feeling about the other night. He had a minor concussion, but the doctor said he was going to be just fine. Please call us soon! We are really worried about you… _

_-Tea and Yugi'_

The other letters pretty much said the same thing. On Tuesday, Tristan's name was added to the list of signatures.

It was Friday again. Joey was lying on his back on the hallway floor, staring at the ceiling. There was no real reason why he'd chosen the hallway. He just kind of ended up there, tired of laying on the bed, or the couch, or the floors in the other rooms. To his disappointment, the ceiling looked the same wherever he was, but the dull cream color was somehow comforting.

It was incredibly quiet…

He hadn't slept in days. He caught himself dozing off every now and then, but nothing too deep. Joey was afraid to sleep – afraid that the nightmare would get him again, and that he would hurt people. He didn't want to hurt people, because if he hurt them, they would start to hate him. Wasn't hating himself enough?

Joey missed his friends. He thought of them all the time. He remembered all the good memories they had. He remembered dueling Yugi at school, with Tea and Tristan watching, and the tournaments, and all they had gone through together. Through thick and thin, they were inseparable. Best friends through everything.

Then he remembered the nightmare, and seeing his friends battered and bloody at the arcade. All the good memories before that seemed to shatter, leaving his heart cold.

It was very quiet…_GROWL!_

Joey bolted upright at the sound that suddenly cut through the silence, startled. He looked around, but couldn't spot anything that would make such a noise.

"What the-"

Another loud growl sounded out. The blonde looked down at his stomach and blushed, embarrassed by his own stupidity. His stomach roared again, this time tightening painfully. When was the last time he'd eaten?

"I don't wanna get up," Joey moaned to his stomach, lying back down. "Now shut up!"

…

_GROWL!_

…

_RAWR!_

…

_GRRRROOOWLLLL!_

"Alright already!" Joey yelled. He heaved himself off the floor. The stomach wanted what the stomach wanted, and it wanted food. Who was he to deny it that?

He shuffled groggily to the kitchen and opened up the fridge, only to find it empty. The cabinets were just as barren. Short of eating the rotten cheese that was shoved in the corner of the drawer in the bottom of the fridge, there was no food.

Joey sighed and closed the fridge door. His back pressed against it and he slide down to the floor, pulling his legs up to his chest and hugging them. What should he do?

'_Starve,'_ he decided stubbornly. His stomach gave another twist. He bit his lower lip and looked at the front door. It looked tauntingly at him, like a huge beast. _'Gotta go out sometime…'_

_GROWL!_

Joey groaned and stood up, his mind made up by the noises of his stomach. The door knob was cold in his hand as he slowly turned it and the door opened with the light squeal it always had.

The main hallway was no different than he remembered it, but it felt like it'd been so long since he last saw it that it had a nostalgic feeling, even though it was only a week or so. He took a step out and stopped for a second to soak it up, wondering if leaving was a good idea. He hadn't lost it in the week alone, but….

"Joey?"

The blonde nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around towards the voice. Sitting on the floor yawning was the small, spiky haired teen that Joey easily recognized. Yugi rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Joey fumbled for words, but was too surprised to say anything but "W-wha-? Whe-? Wh-?"

Yugi smiled, "Hey, I was waiting for you. I figured that you would have to come out eventually."

"Y-yeah…" Joey replied dumbly. His eyes fell to the floor, unsure of what else to say. His stomach snarled. "Uh…..what are you doing here?"

Yugi lifted himself up, and his smile fell away. "We need to talk. Something happened."

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**Yeah...bad chappy, but I figured it needed to be updated badly. Thank you all for your support! This will be updated with a better chapter soon. =p**

**-BV  
**


	5. Chapter 5

I'm such a comment whore. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed! Love you guys!

And now, after such a long delay, here's the latest chapter! Hope you enjoy!

xxxxxx

The silvery fog wrapped and twisted itself in thin swirling ribbons around his feet as Kaiba struggled to stand. His body felt weak, as if it were made entirely of liquid and might fall apart at any moment – absorbing into the earth and never to be seen again. He both hated and feared that powerless feeling, more than he hated and feared the nightmare itself.

No, he corrected himself, not feared. He feared nothing. Seto Kaiba was too strong to feel fear.

It was really cold – the kind of cold that was so powerful you could hardly feel it. His skin was absolutely numb, and a thin layer of ice clung to his clothes and hair.

The dream always started that way, and he knew what would happen next. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't stop himself from moving forward. It was as if his body moved on its own, being ushered by the mist, walking slowly…weakly - like a puppet on strings.

There was a murmur of sound coming from somewhere in the distance, rippling like water traveling over river stones. He followed the sound into the fog.

And there it was – the thing he was searching for, though he really didn't know he was searching for it: the mirror.

The mirror and…Wheeler.

The rippling wasn't rippling at all, but instead sobs. The mutt was crying. Kaiba touched the tips of his fingers to the glass. The blonde's figure faded from it and he was only staring at himself. Rather, a figure of himself. His typical cold expression was weak, and unbelievable. It made him sick to look at himself.

So he looked away.

There was no one. Even the fog seemed to slither away. He was alone in this cold darkness.

No Mokuba. No Wheeler. No one.

xxxxxxxxx

"-to! Seto!"

Kaiba groaned as he came to. A black blur hovered above his face, silhouetted by various overhead lights. He blinked until his vision came into focus and he could make out the worried face of his younger brother.

"Hey, is he ok?" Mokuba demanded to know from a KaibaCorp EMT, of whom Kaiba hadn't noticed till that moment.

"I'm fine," Kaiba said, pulling the oxygen mask off his face. He sat up and moved to stand, only to be forced back down by a wave of nausea.

"Don't move too fast," the EMT warned, "You bumped your head pretty hard this time."

"Don't tell me what to do," Kaiba snarled. His hand instinctively went to his head, and he could feel a golf ball sized lump through his hair. It stung enough to make him hiss when he touched it. The EMT handed him an icepack.

His vision suddenly blurred again, and it felt like the world was tipping sideways. His stomach flipped in such a way that he thought the contents of his breakfast might end up on the floor.

'_Wouldn't that just be the highlight of my day?'_ Kaiba thought sarcastically, grimacing. He rested his head between his knees, and closed his eyes, holding the icepack to the lump.

"Maybe you should go to the hospital," Mokuba suggested. His voice was full of honest concern.

"I'm fine."

"At least go see a doctor."

"I'm fine."

"I think your brother is ri-" the EMT began.

Kaiba cut him off sharply, "I don't pay you to think."

"But these fainting spells have gotten more frequent lately and…"

The CEO lifted his head enough to give the man a look that warned him he was treading into dangerous waters, and that his job would be severely at stake if he continued speaking. The EMT shut up instantly, taking sudden interest in the contents of his supply bag.

However, the EMT was right. Kaiba had always had occasional bouts of fainting, followed by the dream, but they had never been as frequent as they were now. He didn't know why it was happening, and he didn't much care to know, but he wanted it to stop. On the other hand, going to a doctor or specialist was out of the question. If the press wasn't bad enough, they would have a field day if they found out that the most feared man in business was being hospitalized. He couldn't even imagine what they would do with that juicy piece of information.

Once his head stopped spinning, he reached a hand up to Mokuba, who helped lift him off the floor.

"You should at least take the day off," Mokuba said, "You know, take a break and just chill."

Kaiba said nothing. He waved the EMT away, who gladly gathered up his supplies and left as quickly as possible.

"Seto…"

"I'm fine," Kaiba said again. His voice rougher than he meant it to be and the raven haired boy seemed to shrink back a bit.

Mokuba walked with him the rest of the way to his office. The boy was usually really talkative, but today he was incredibly quiet. Kaiba figured he was still worried, or perhaps he had been too harsh in reassuring his little brother that he was fine. Either way, it was awkward.

"Skipping school today?" He asked as he placed his thumb on the fingerprint scanner. The first lock on his office door clicked open.

Mokuba skipped school every other day – Tuesday and Thursday – because he didn't like math class. Kaiba knew he should have scolded the boy and made him go, but what would be the point? So after graduating he could get a good job and make a lot of money? That was a goal for average people. Kaiba made enough for both he and his brother - and the generations after them - to live lavishly.

"No…I think I'll go today," Mokuba replied as the elder boy finished opening the door via eye scan.

Kaiba's eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a second. "It's Tuesday."

"I know," The raven haired boy shrugged, "I figured that I have nothing better to do today, so it wouldn't hurt to go."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Mokuba hated lying to his brother. He had no intention to go to school, but he also had no intention on telling his brother what he was up too. It was just better that way.

"You can drop me off here," He told the driver as the limo rolled to a stop for a red light.

"But-" The driver objected.

"I'll walk from here," Mokuba said, smiling to tell the man that it was alright. He leapt out of the vehicle and onto the sidewalk, waving as the limo drove past on the green light.

The boy quietly considered his surroundings. He knew the burger joint was around there somewhere. Maybe it was on the next street over? Mokuba personally wouldn't have chosen a burger place as a rendezvous point, but _he_ said it was the only way.

'_He.'_

Mokuba chuckled at the way his mind automatically censored the other boy's name. _'He'_ was only Yugi, but he would never say his name in front of his brother. Seto only said Yugi's name when he was sure he had a new deck planned out to beat him. Other than that, Yugi was only _'he' _or _'him'_ or _'that guy'_.

He grinned widely at some of the other, more graphical names they referred to him as, as Mokuba walked into the local grease pot that shamed itself into being called a fast food restaurant. There was a surprising amount of people there, but Yugi was pretty easy to spot at the corner table.

"Hey…" Mokuba greeted. He felt his smile dropping as he spotted Joey, remembering the original reason for this secret meeting.

There was something wrong with Seto, and there was something wrong with Joey. It was just a hunch, but maybe it was the same 'something wrong'.

xxxxxxxx

Can you tell that I'm out of practice?

I wrote the middle section about 5 months ago while in Japan, and wrote the rest just recently. It needs a lot of help. My writing style is all out of wack!  
I promise I'll fix it one day. Promise that the next chappy will be better!

Please R&R!


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